Like most obsessions, it begins in innocence.
But then you quickly find that you are spending more and more money, and the searching becomes increasingly arcane and fevered. At a certain point, you have to face up to your addiction, and call out its name: Granola.
Becoming obsessed with granola is explicable: some people know how to tweak oats and nuts and fruits into a magical maze of flavour and texture and, once you have enjoyed that high, you want it all the time. And you are not alone: London’s Husk and Honey Bakery claims to have created more than 600 varieties of granola, and Michel Roux jr. declared them to be the creators of the best granola in the UK back in 2017. This granola band of brothers stretches across oceans and continents: you might think Daniel Humm is famous because his New York restaurant, 11 Madison Park, was once crowned as the World’s Best Restaurant.
Phooey! Daniel is famous to us granola heads because his recipe for granola is one of the very best, and features prominently in the NYT Cookery site. Dan even sells them to take home, in a range of flavours including cherry pistachio and blueberry lemon, and all for just $39 a jar.
Granola obsessives never quibble over price: give the man your 39 bucks.
Granola heads can discuss their addiction for hours. Does Graham, The Cupcake Bloke, make the best granola? Graham bagged a Gold Medal at the Blas na hEireann awards, so that’s a Gold Medal Granola for you. And the Foods of Athenry Bakery have twin golds for their granola, whilst Two Boys Brew were finalists, and so were Belfast’s Morning Glory.
But then what about Oisin Coyle’s maple and pecan granola, just one of the many must-have’s from his Dundalk bakery, Coyle’s Bakehouse? If the east coast has a star granola, the west coast can answer proudly with the brilliant granola made by Ireen and Kris at their Slieve Elva B&B, just outside Lisdoonvarna. Slieve Elva is a gold standard sustainable destination, and they bake the granola in an oven that runs on power from solar panels. Respect.
I’m a fan of the granola made by Waterford’s Menonite Amish community. A dollop of some good yoghurt and a drizzle of Highbank Orchard Apple syrup is all it needs. Available from their own shop on the Woodstown Road or through Ardkeen Stores.